Email is one of the most powerful media marketers have, and it’s no wonder. Some 72% of consumers prefer email as their primary means of communicating with brands, and Campaign Monitor reports a $44 ROI for every $1 spent on email.

Those stats come from an infographic produced by MageMail, which explores how to craft a successful email program.

The infographic has some great information on why you should do email marketing in the first place, ways to think about it, tactics for getting the best possible results and finally, in what areas you can test your theories to optimize every campaign you send.

The first thing you should do, according to the MageMail infographic, is start with strategy. Then, consider some ways to encourage people to sign up for your list. Ultimately, it comes down to consistently delivering valuable, high quality content and adding value for your customers.

Personalization is also helpful, according to the data, as it increases conversion rates by 10%. Also be sure to set up triggered or automated campaigns, which have significantly higher open, click, and transaction rates than business-as-usual emails.

Finally, figure out a strategy for list hygiene. Some ways you can do this are by removing incorrect email addresses, and reengaging or removing inactive subscribers. For example, if someone hasn’t opened an email from you in 6 months, you might try sending a specific “we miss you!” campaign to rope them back in. If they still don’t engage, it’s a good practice to remove them from your main subscriber list.

Ultimately, once you learn how to segment and personalize your emails properly, every one you send becomes an opportunity to:

LISTEN – by paying attention to your open and click-through rates,

BE RELEVANT – by acknowledging your recipient’s profiles and interests

ENGAGE – by talking to them in the most valuable way possible.

For the full scoop on what to consider for your email campaigns, check out the infographic below.